Olympus VG-145 vs Sony HX20V: Two Compact Zoom Cameras Under the Lens

In my 15 years testing cameras ranging from pro-level bodies to travel-friendly compacts, I’ve found the real challenge is balancing features, performance, and portability. Today, I’m diving deep into two intriguing models that hit that sweet spot for enthusiasts and casual shooters alike: the Olympus VG-145 (2011) and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V (2012). Though both fall under the compact superzoom umbrella, they take very different approaches - one more minimalist ultracompact, and the other a more advanced small-sensor superzoom packed with features.

This comparison is based on hands-on lab tests and field shooting from varied conditions like city streets, wildlife outings, and landscape hikes. I’ll focus equally on technical specs and practical results, so you get clarity on which camera suits your style, budget, and photography ambitions.

Size and Handling: Pocket-Sized Minimalism Meets Ergonomic Compactness

The first impression when holding these cameras is key - comfort, control placement, and weight all shape your shooting experience, especially for travel and street photography. Let’s visually compare their size and ergonomics:

At just 96x57x19 mm and weighing a scant 120 grams, the Olympus VG-145 is a marvel of pocket portability. It slips effortlessly into coats or small bags without weighing you down. However, its ultra-compact size comes with trade-offs: limited external controls and no viewfinder demand a mostly screen-based operation, which can be tricky in bright sunlight.

In contrast, the Sony HX20V measures 107x62x35 mm - noticeably bulkier and twice as heavy at 254 grams. The added girth accommodates a more substantial grip, intuitively placed physical buttons, and a solid build that inspired confidence during my wildlife sessions. Its size might deter ultra-minimalists but feels balanced for extended shooting sessions where precision handling matters.

Both cameras have fixed LCDs without touch functionality, but on usability, the HX20V’s control layout and grip edge the VG-145 comfortably for prolonged use.

Top View Insights: Controls and Interface Flexibility

Lets take a glance at their top control layouts:

The Olympus VG-145 keeps things extremely simple - a shutter release, zoom lever, and a few mode buttons. This can be a blessing for beginners or casual shooters who want to point and shoot without fuss. However, more advanced users might find the lack of customizable dials and manual options limiting.

The Sony HX20V compensates with dedicated mode dials including manual exposure control and an exposure compensation button - features rare in this camera class and price range. The zoom ring, while electronically controlled, feels precise and offers excellent framing flexibility. This layout invites more experimentation with exposure and creative settings, which I welcomed when shooting landscapes and low-light scenarios.

Sensor Specifications Tell a Story: Resolution and Image Quality Potential

Both cameras house small 1/2.3"-type sensors of identical dimensions (6.17x4.55 mm), but there are differences in sensor tech and resolution:

• Olympus VG-145: 14MP CCD sensor
• Sony HX20V: 18MP BSI-CMOS sensor

Sony’s use of a back-illuminated CMOS sensor gives it a distinct edge in sensitivity and noise control, traits critical in low light or high ISO captures. Olympus’ CCD sensor, though respectable for the time, tends to struggle with noise above ISO 400, limiting its flexibility.

Resolution wise, the HX20V’s 4896x3672 pixel output offers more detail potential, especially notable when cropping or printing larger sizes. The VG-145’s 4288x3216 is adequate for casual prints but does not deliver the same sharpness fidelity on pixel peeping.

From my real-world tests, images from the HX20V showed cleaner shadows and more dynamic range, delivering richer landscapes and night shots. The VG-145’s photos are best suited for well-lit conditions and casual sharing.

Viewing and Composing: LCD Quality and Eye-Level Aids

Neither camera includes an electronic viewfinder, so the rear LCD is your primary composing window:

The VG-145’s 3-inch screen is fixed and quite low res (230k pixels), making it harder to evaluate focus or fine composition, especially outdoors. The screen also lacks viewing aids like histograms or grid overlays, which I missed frequently during street shooting.

Sony’s HX20V boasts a 3-inch XtraFine TruBlack LCD with 922k pixel resolution - a huge improvement in clarity and color accuracy. This made reviewing images in shade or under dappled light far easier. For video, this clarity also helped with framing and monitoring exposure.

My tip: If you frequently shoot in bright conditions without an EVF, a more detailed and anti-reflective LCD like Sony’s is invaluable for consistent results.

Image Quality in Action: Sample Gallery from Both Cameras

I had the opportunity to shoot a varied set of scenes including portraits, cityscapes, wildlife, and textures to assess color, sharpness, and bokeh rendering:

Olympus VG 145 front Olympus VG 145 screen back Sony HX20V front Sony HX20V screen back

Portraits: Sony’s smoother skin tone rendering and better face detection autofocus (with 9 focus points) contributed to cleaner, more flattering portraits versus Olympus’ softer and sometimes flatter tones.

Landscapes: The higher resolution and dynamic range of the Sony gave it the upper hand, especially under challenging lighting with bright skies.

Wildlife: The HX20V’s 20x optical zoom (vs Olympus’ 5x) brought distant subjects closer and with better detail, though autofocus was generally moderate on both.

Bokeh: Neither camera produces very creamy bokeh due to small sensors and lenses, but Sony’s slightly faster aperture helped when zoomed out.

At the end of the day, image quality differences are noticeable but hinge on your use cases - for casual snaps Olympus suffices, but the Sony stands out for enthusiasts demanding more versatility.

Frame Rates and Autofocus: Speed Matters for Action and Wildlife

A crucial lens through which I assessed both cameras was performance speed:

• Olympus VG-145: No burst mode, contrast-detection AF only, single autofocus option without continuous or tracking.
• Sony HX20V: Burst shooting up to 10 fps, contrast-detect AF with face and subject tracking, multiple focus modes.

For sports or wildlife photographers who rely on capturing decisive moments, the Sony’s continuous shooting and tracking AF reigned supreme in my tests. The Olympus’ simple AF system struggled with fast-moving subjects, causing frequent focus hunting.

That said, street or travel photographers shooting at a stroll can still get by with the VG-145’s slower AF.

Build Quality and Weather Resistance: Handling the Elements

Neither model offers formal weather sealing or ruggedization, so both are best treated as gentle travelers. However, the Olympus’ minimalist design and light build feel slightly more delicate, while the Sony’s larger chassis has a reassuring, solid feel without being bulky.

Outdoor photographers who frequently shoot in damp or dusty conditions should consider protective solutions or alternative models - neither camera is really aimed at pro adventurers.

Lens Reach and Aperture: Zoom Range Implications

The Olympus VG-145’s fixed lens covers 26-130 mm (equivalent) at f/2.8-6.5 - decent for general use but limited telephoto reach (5x zoom).

The Sony HX20V shines here with a 25-500 mm equivalent 20x zoom at f/3.2-5.8 aperture range. This enormous focal length spread is a joy for anyone shooting everything from wide landscapes to distant wildlife, offering incredible compositional flexibility.

I found the Sony much more satisfying for travel photography, where packing a single camera capable of many focal lengths is key.

Macro and Close-Up Shooting: Precision and Focus Range

Both cameras advertise macro focusing down to 1 cm, which in practice delivers some interesting detail shots of flowers, insects, and textures.

Sony’s optical stabilization helps here, reducing blur at close distances, and its manual focus option allows fine-tuning, missed on the Olympus VG-145 due to no manual focus.

In controlled lighting, both can produce pleasing macros, but Sony’s finer control offers the edge for dedicated close-up enthusiasts.

Low Light and Night Performance: Noise Control & Exposure Settings

Low-light performance is a decisive factor for many users:

• Olympus ISO tops at 1600, noticeable image noise beyond ISO 400
• Sony ISO tops at 12800, with useable images up to ISO 3200-6400 depending on conditions

Sony’s BSI-CMOS sensor paired with optical stabilization makes night and astro photography far more feasible. The added advantage of manual exposure and longer shutter speeds (up to 30 seconds) helps capture star trails and cityscapes after dark.

In comparison, the Olympus’s fastest shutter speed is 1/2000 s but lacks long exposure options, and its maximum ISO restricts night work to relatively bright scenes with flash or steady support.

Video Functionality: Resolution, Stabilization, and Audio

Both models offer video recording but differ vastly in capabilities:

• Olympus VG-145: 720p max resolution at 30 fps, Motion JPEG format, no microphone input
• Sony HX20V: Full HD 1080p at 60 fps, AVCHD and MPEG-4 formats, optical image stabilization, HDMI output

The Sony’s advanced video modes allow crisp, smooth footage suitable for casual video bloggers and family recording, while Olympus’ video feels more rudimentary.

Neither has external mic input, so audio quality is basic, but Sony’s built-in stabilization notably improves handheld footage.

Storage, Power, and Connectivity

• Batteries: Olympus uses smaller LI-70B battery with ~160 shots per charge, Sony’s NP-BG1 doubles that to ~320 shots. For day-long trips, Sony’s longer battery life reduces anxiety.
• Storage: Both support SD/SDHC cards; Sony adds Memory Stick Duo compatibility.
• Connectivity: Sony features built-in GPS for geotagging and Eye-Fi Wi-Fi card support, helping photographers log and transfer photos easily. Olympus has no wireless options and basic USB 2.0 connectivity.

Putting it All Together: Performance Ratings and Genre Analysis

To sum up objective performance measures and genre suitability, I compiled these scores based on sensor, autofocus, handling, and format support:

Breaking it down into photographic niches:

• Portrait: Sony excels with better face detection, higher resolution, superior skin tones
• Landscape: Sony’s dynamic range and resolution advantage are clear
• Wildlife: Telephoto reach and faster burst rate favor Sony heavily
• Sports: Sony only, thanks to tracking AF and fps
• Street: Olympus’ size slightly favored, but image quality lag hurts
• Macro: Sony’s image stabilization and manual focus pull ahead
• Night/Astro: Sony’s high ISO and shutter options dominate
• Video: Sony outclasses with Full HD and stabilization
• Travel: Sony’s versatility and battery care rule
• Professional Work: Neither ideal; Sony’s RAW absence is limiting, but it provides more creative control than Olympus

Final Thoughts: Which Camera Should You Choose?

Having spent weeks shooting with both, here’s my bottom line:

• The Olympus VG-145 is a genuinely pocketable, simple point-and-shoot for casual photographers or those who want a charity-shop camera to digitize family moments. It’s very light, straightforward, and good in bright daylight. However, don’t expect spectacular image quality or speed for demanding scenarios. Its fixed lens, limited zoom, and lack of manual controls cap its creative potential.

• The Sony HX20V is a significant step up offering a superzoom capable of capturing everything from sweeping vistas to distant wildlife with relative ease. Its BSI-CMOS sensor delivers better image quality, especially in challenging lighting. The manual controls, GPS geotagging, longer battery life, and quality LCD screen make it an excellent all-round compact for enthusiasts who want versatility without lugging interchangeable lenses. Its bigger size and weight are a trade-off for meaningful performance gains.

Recommendations:

• For casual users seeking simplicity and ultimate portability - go with Olympus VG-145.
• For travelers, street shooters, and wildlife or landscape lovers who want more reach and manual control - choose Sony HX20V.
• If video recording or night photography is important, Sony HX20V is the clear winner.
• Budget-conscious buyers may find used Olympus VG-145 appealing for quick snapshots but should temper expectations.

Parting Tip: Testing Yourself

Whenever possible, I urge photographers to handle cameras in-store and test them in their preferred settings. Specs only tell part of the story; real-world feel and image outcomes matter most.

If you want a compact camera balancing ease and versatility with excellent zoom reach, Sony’s HX20V remains a compelling pick despite its age. Meanwhile, the Olympus VG-145 might still charm those who prize lightness above all else.

Happy shooting, and I hope this detailed comparison helps you make the best choice for your photographic journey!

If you found this guide valuable, check out my other in-depth camera reviews and feel free to ask any follow-up questions in the comments below. I test and analyze hundreds of cameras yearly, always aiming to give you the clearest picture possible.

Stay curious and keep exploring the world through your lens!